


Naughty or Nice

by rowofstars



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Christmas Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Pete's World
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-12-20
Updated: 2009-12-20
Packaged: 2018-04-19 06:22:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4735718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rowofstars/pseuds/rowofstars
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Someone's making a list and checking it twice. Pure Christmas fluff, for <a class="i-ljuser-profile" href="http://wishiknewwho.livejournal.com/profile"><img class="i-ljuser-userhead"/></a><a class="i-ljuser-username" href="http://wishiknewwho.livejournal.com/">wishiknewwho</a>. Happy Birthday!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Naughty or Nice

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Birthday [](http://wishiknewwho.livejournal.com/profile)[wishiknewwho](http://wishiknewwho.livejournal.com/)!! I hope you have a wonderful day and the most happiest of holidays. ♥ Beta'd by [](http://anepidemic.livejournal.com/profile)[anepidemic](http://anepidemic.livejournal.com/).

The Doctor peeks his head over the back of sofa. Crouching low, he wriggles around the end table, squeezes between the green wing backed chair and the wall, finally reaching his intended target.

He eyes the nearest medium sized box, wrapped in simple green paper and topped with a red bow. One slender finger stretches out to poke the corner, finding it to be quite solid and a little heavy. His eyebrows wiggle of their own accord and a sly grin slips into place.

Grasping the package firmly with both hands, he turns it and finds the tag most unreadable. Frowning, he fishes in his left pocket for his trusty spectacles and squints at the fine lined letters.

_To: Jackie  
From: Pete_

The Doctor sighs and catches sight of something more promising, a long, rounded tube rolled up in silver patterned paper, crimped at both ends and tied off with matching ribbon. He slides it out from under the tree, pausing in fear when he jiggles one of the bell ornaments. His eyes watch the arched entryway for a few tense moments.

Satisfied that he is as yet undiscovered, he inches the present closer and rolls it over to expose the label. The rounded, bubbly script is one he would know anywhere, embellished more than usual by replacing the O's with smiley faces.

_To: Tony  
From: Rose_

The Doctor pushes the cylinder back under the edge of the tree where he found it and sits back on his heels, contemplating his next move. He makes his way around to the other side on hands and knees. His head bends down and tilts awkwardly, trying to see what might be hiding in the back corner. The low boughs of the evergreen snag his hair and he swats at the offending branch.

A small clay figure of the Virgin Mary wobbles and slips free. He throws himself onto the carpet, arms outstretched to catch the fragile decoration in his open palms. Exhaling in relief, he sits and up scans the tree for the correct limb on which to hang the Madonna.

There is a sharp noise behind the Doctor and he whirls around to find Pete Tyler standing in the doorway to the kitchen. Pete takes a sip from his mug of hot chocolate and eyes the Doctor suspiciously. "Something wrong Doctor?"

"No!" the Doctor replies quickly, oblivious to the bauble dangling from his hand. "I was just um -"

"Just what?" Pete asks, masking his burgeoning grin with the rim of his cup.

The Doctor's eyes dart about the room as he tries to comprise a reasonable excuse until he finally registers the press of the golden string around his finger. "Yes, right! I was just um, re – aligning and balancing this fine example of _Abies fraseri_. You see it was listing a bit to the right and we wouldn't want it toppling over like last year from too many weighty ornaments on one side."

Pete raises his eyebrows and stares at the tense smile plastered over the Doctor's face. "Right. Well just don't let Jackie catch you or the tree won't be the only thing listing to the right around here."

The Doctor swallows nervously as he watches Pete cross the room and head down the hall to the study. He can already feel the sting of Jackie's palm on his left cheek.

With renewed vigilance, the Doctor deposits Mary on a branch reasonably close to Joesph, and resumes his gift investigation. He picks up a small box and holds it up to his ear, rocking it gently from side to side and straining for any hint of a rattle. Finding none, he eyes the wrapping paper and scowls at the line of smiling Father Christmases with their very plastic looking faces.

A quick peek at the bottom leaves him frustrated once again.

_To: Jacks  
From: Pete_

The Doctor pulls off his specs and pouts. Deciding on a more efficient course of action, he begins to methodically work his way from left to right around the tree. Ten minutes later he has cataloged six presents for Rose, nine for Tony, and five for Pete and Jackie. One is rather suspiciously labeled as being to Jackie, from him that he does not remember purchasing, wrapping or otherwise authorizing. And he would certainly never address a gift tag with a sparkly silver pen.

He is just about to give up when he spies something tucked under the edge of the embroidered tree skirt. It's a tall, slender box wrapped in a shiny blue paper and adorned with a glittery gold bow. Smiling, he eagerly pulls the present free, folding his legs under him as he sits back to examine it.

There is no tag but he's convinced that no one other than him would receive a gift wrapped in such a familiar color and folded so precisely. He reaches inside his jacket to retrieve his new and improved sonic screwdriver. Fiddling with the settings for a few minutes he discovers that he's forgotten to program the settings for unsealing and resealing wrapping paper and scotch tape.

With a groan he slumps against the ottoman, looking forlornly at the blue box.

The Doctor is snapped from his despondent moment by a chuckle and the abrupt clearing of a throat. He slips the sonic back in his pocket and climbs to his feet, gift in hand. Standing in the archway to the living room is a very bemused Rose, arms crossed over her chest, along side a perturbed looking Jackie, hands planted firmly at her hips.

"You were right, Mum," Rose says, trying and failing to hold back a smirk. "Definitely naughty."

The Doctor's eyes go wide. He feebly protests Jackie and Rose's behavioral assessment, but the evidence mounts against him in the form of melted toasters, an exploding leaf blower and countless suits ruined by burn marks, rips and super glue. In the end, they watch over him as he places every present back in its exact spot.

When he's done, Jackie nods, glares and marches off to the kitchen without another word. Rose throws him a smile and a wink before heading off after her mother, leaving him standing alone in the middle of the living room.

This is where Tony finds him a few minutes later.

The young boy tugs on the Doctor's sleeve to get his attention. "It's okay. I was naughty too, but you can have some of my presents."


End file.
